Sponge mops



Sept. 27, 1966 H. A. MYERS 3,27

SPONGE MOPS Filed Aug. 20, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IEA I NVEN TOR.

HOWARD A. MYERS I I MI A TORNEY H. A. MYERS SPONGE MOPS Sept. 27, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 20, 1965 FIG. IO

INVENTOR.

HOWARD A. MYERS ATTORNEY Unite The present application is a continuation-impart of my co-pending and now abandoned application, Serial No. 321,160, filed November 4, 1963.

This invention relates to improvements in sponge mops, to sponge bodies therefor, and to the connections between the sponge bodies and their handles.

Sponge mops of the type employing a synthetic sponge body commonly employ mechanical means to wring the sponge. Such sponge bodies are notable for the ease and efficiency with which they can be wrung, simply by manua1 squeezing. However, when other components are added to a sponge body, as is necessary to provide a handled tool, it is relatively difficult to provide these in a form which will not interfere with the grasping and squeezing of the sponge. Means to effect mechanical wringing are necessary to avoid the exacting restrictions on cleaning head design imposed by the limited grasping ability of the users hand or hands.

There are serious disadvantages inherent in mechanical wringing, as compared to direct, manual wringing. If the wringing means are made integral with the mop, eflicient wringing requires the use of rigid components of considerable size and weight, located in proximity to the cleaning head. Such components unavoidably detract from cleaning efficiency in various ways, as, for example, by making the mop cumbersome, hampering maneuverability, causing impact damage, and limiting good design, and, in addition, affecting costs. If effective wringing means are provided separately from the mop, this entails the inconvenience involved in the use and care of a second piece of equipment, plus further added cost.

The sponge bodies on sponge mops are commonly provided with working faces which are flat, and of considerable area. Such faces provide optimum cleaning efliciency, but only if maintained in continuous, full contact with the surface being cleaned. Thus, operational efficiency requires that the user be free to vary the working pressure and angle of the mop handle, at will, without losing such contact. Since this obviously involves a free and central pivoting of the head about an axis parallel to the working face and perpendicular to the handle, in a manner to allow a considerable axial motion at least equal to the full angular working range of the handle, such a head can be said to be freely and stably pivoted. A pivoted head can also be made reversible, with two principal and opposite working faces, and the pivot axis midway between. This has the important advantage of doubling the total working area or cleaning capacity.

A wet sponge body that is freely and centrally pivoted is a soft, yielding mass, and under the stress of working friction, it tends to distort and to roll about the pivot axis, thus losing full working contact. If a sponge of sufficient relative thickness to obviate such distortions is used, its central pivot axis will be at such distance from the working faces as to result in instability as its rotational tendency is thereby increased. Thus, existing designs employing such a freely pivoted, reversible head, attain stability and prevent distortion by utilizing a relatively thin sponge head which is rendered rigid by inner reinforcing components extending substantially throughout the length and breadth of the sponge body. Such components prohibit convenient manual wringing and, therefore, mechanical wringing means must be and are provided.

As a consequence, existing designs providing the poten- States Patent 3,274,635 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 tially high efficiency of a pivoted, reversible head suifer the serious detractions from overall efficiency caused by attached mechanical wringing components, or separate wringing devices.

The object of the present invention is to provide a sponge mop having a reversible, externally unobstructed, sponge body which is freely pivoted in a manner that eliminates the need for and disadvantages of mechanical wringing components or devices and ensures maximum efficiency and convenience in use.

In accordance with the invention, these general objectives are attained by providing a mop comprising a sponge body member having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of the body member parallel to the work-engaging faces and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of the sponge body member in the normal use of the mop, and a slot opening through the rear edge of the sponge body member at right angles to and extending through the work-engaging faces and intersecting the central chamber. The mop also includes guiding structure including a body-reinforcing member within the central chamber of the sponge body member, a handle extending through the rearwardly opening slot thereof, and a pivotal connection between the body member and the handle axially of the reinforcing member. The cross sectional dimensions of the body and reinforcing members, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that the sponge body may be manually encircled and squeezed against the reinforcing member but resulting in a tendency of the body member to roll about the pivot axis when advanced over a surface.

The diameter of the reinforcing member is, accordingly, necessarily limited, thereby avoiding any extended plane of reinforcement and because of this factor a relatively thick, block-like sponge body is required to provide inherent firmness and resistance to distortion and a uniform distribution of working pressure to the entire working face in use. A thick sponge is functionally desirable in that it provides greater water holding or cleaning capacity. However, a sponge of such shape, if centrally pivoted in a conventional manner, is unstable in use as it tends to roll about the pivot axis.

Stable pivoting of the sponge body in this invention is achieved, in accordance with the invention, by regulating and utilizing a considerable frictional torque generated at the engaged surfaces of the pivotal connection by applied, sponge-working pressure, to prevent unwanted axial rotation of the sponge body in use.

It is not obvious that bearing friction would in this case serve the required purpose, for it could, of course, augment as well as retard the tendency of the sponge to rotate due to working friction depending upon the direction of movement imparted to the handle. Therefore, a comprehension of the fact that hearing friction could be constantly effective and therefore useful for such purpose requires an awareness of the existence and of the import of another factor entirely unrelated to the specific mop design. This is the observable fact that during all normal and natural manipulation of a mop the user executes the forward cleaning stroke without significantly raising the handle, and does not significantly lower it during the reverse stroke. This results in the pivot member always being rotationally maneuvered in such manner that any significant tendency of the sponge to rotate, due to working friction, always exceeds any accompanying tendency of the pivot to move in the same direction, and is thus frictionally opposed at the bearing surfaces of the pivotal connection.

The sponge is freely pivoted in that no significant bearing friction exists in the absence of working pressure.

Thus, since both the bearing friction and the working friction result from and are directly proportional to the applied working force, the result is a proportional relation of constant value between these two mutually varying and opposing frictional forces.

The required relative amount of frictional torque of the pivotal connection is obtained by proper choice of the dimensions of and the frictional characteristics of the bearing surfaces so as to provide elfective torsional resistance to rolling of the sponge body. Some measure of pivotal stability can be obtained through use of a certain degree of constant or preset bearing friction. However, a bearing friction that varies directly with the working force is more effective, and is to be preferred.

It is to be noted that a mop consisting only of the components hereinbefore described is complete as to function and performance, and fulfills all the stated objectives of this invention. The sponge material itself is adequate in supplying the required bearing surface friction. However, for the purpose of providing greater durability, and depending upon .the toughness or durability of the particular sponge material used, it may be desirable to reinforce the inner sponge bearing surface, as with an applied coating to the chamber or a bearing sleeve inserted therein.

It will be appreciated that the functional efficiency of this tool is such that it is to be compared only with such existing types as have the similar high efliciency of a freely pivoted, reversible and unobstructed cleaning head, all of whose external surfaces are working surfaces or sponge material. A mop in accordance with the invention is thus superior to existing sponge body mops in that it is a functionally complete, unit tool, its usefulness is not dependent upon the employment of a separate apparatus; nor is there detraction from cleaning efficiency caused by encumbering wringing components entirely foreign to the cleaning function. "It thus provides a mop of heretofore unattained efliciency in use.

In the accompanying drawings, there are shown illustrative embodiments of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool in accordance with one embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating another embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view illustrating the attachment of a sponge body to or its removal from the handle pivot member,

FIGURE 6 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 66 of FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view, with portions broken away, of a sponge body illustrating yet another embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool in accordance with another embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 9 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 9-9 of FIGURE 8, and

FIGURE 10 is a like view illustrating the mop in use.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG- URES 1-3, a synthetic sponge body 10 is shown as of oblong form and thus has upper and lower principal plane work-engaging, parallel surfaces 11 and 12, respectively, parallel end walls 13, and front and back parallel walls 14 and .15, respectively. The body 10 is shown as having a central lengthwise passageway .16 closed by end plugs 07 which are held in place by rubber cement with which the entire passageway 16 may be coated to provide a lining therefor, the lining being indicated at 18, and the plugs 17 defining the extremities of an intermediate chamher. As a coat for the chamber portion of the passageway 16 any liquid may be used that will adhere thereto and reinforce it, when dry, by providing a stiffening coat or lining affording a satisfactory amount of friction for the pivot member 19.

A pivot member 19, preferably of substantial diameter, is located in the chamber portion of the passageway 16 and the body 10 has a central vertical slot 20 opening through the back wall 15 and shown as extending from top-to-bottom thereof and of a depth to intersect the passageway 16 thus to accommodate the rod 21 anchored in one end of the handle 22 and shown as threaded in the pivot member 19 to complete the tool. The handle may be of any desired lengthand sectioned, if desired, and the passageway 16 is so located that, in use, the body 10 does not tend to roll over.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG- URES 46, the tool is the same except for certain features of the sponge body. As a consequence, the same reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts but these are distinguished by the suffix addition A. Whereas in FIGURES 1-3 the pivot member 19 is introduced into the sponge body 10 before both ends of its passageway 16 are plugged, the sponge body 10A of FIG- URES 4-6 has a pair of parallel passages 23 in its back wall 15A and spaced one on each side of the slot 20A and in the plane of and intersecting the chamber of the passageway 16A. The body 10A is divided into upper and lower portions or flaps as by lines of severance 24 extending between the slot 20A, the passage 23, and the chamber portion of the passageway 16A so that not only can the sponge body 10A be spread laterally, as shown in FIG- URE 5, with reference to the rear slot 20A but also its flaps can be spread apart vertically with reference to its lines of severance 24 thus to enable the pivot member 19A to be introduced into or removed from its chamber. The plugs 17A are anchored by an adhesive coating 18A with which the entire surfaces of the passageways are provided.

In FIGURE 7, the sponge body is shown similar to those described with the exception of certain additional features. For that reason, the same reference numerals are used for the corresponding parts and these are distinguished by the sufiix addition B.

The sponge body 10B differs from the sponge bodies 10 and 10A in that it is shown as having its end walls 13B and its front and rear walls 14B and 15B, respectively, provided with channels 25 extending from top-to-bottom thereof. These function to hold dirt, especially light, fibrous dust, when the sponge body is damp, to extend the effectiveness of sponge bodies incorporating this feature by increasing their dust-carrying capacity, thus making the tool highly effective as a dust collector or dust mop. In addition, the sponge body 1013 has a sleeve 26 molded therein, receiving and confining the pivot member 19B and having a slot 27 enabling a handle structure to be attached thereto through the slot 20B.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG- URES 8-10 is generally similar to those previously described and its corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals but they are distinguished by the suflix addition C.

The sponge body has its central, chamber-defining passageway 16C extending through it and its ends are shown as left open. In place of a lining coat, a sleeve is inserted in :the chamber 16C and, desirably but not necessarily, it is secured therein with an adhesive which may or may not be a lining coat. The sleeve 180 may extend from end-to-end of the chamber 16C but preferably terminates short of the open ends thereof. The sleeve 18C has a transverse slot 28, shown as 180 in extent, in communication with the rearwardly opening slot 200 which is shown as extending approximately halfway through sponge body 10C and the chamber 16C. The sleeve 18C may conveniently be a length or rubber tubing and is relatively rigid as compared with the sponge body 100. A pivot 19C is shown .as having a transverse bore into which the threaded end of the handle 22C is threaded. The pivot 19C is shown as of stock of circular section, although it may be of other cross-sectional shapes, and desirably, its diameter is somewhat less than that of the reinforcing sleeve 18C and of the same or somewhat shorter length. The pivot 19C may be made of any material that has a suitable surface to provide the desired torsional resistance in use.

It will be appreciated that a sponge body C having a sleeve 18C incorporated therein may be quickly and easily removed from the handle 22C by detaching the handle 220 from the pivot 19C. The pivot 19C may be inserted into the sleeve 18C of a replacement sponge body and positioned to have the handle 22C again attached thereto.

From a consideration of the foregoing embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that sponge mops in acoordance therewith are adapted to be used with maximum ease, convenience, and efiiciency without any undesirable restrictions being imposed upon their use by the pivotal connection between the sponge bodies and their handles and with the pivotal connections providing effective torsional resistance against the rolling of the sponge bodies in use.

It will be appreciated that, in the use of a tool in accordance with the invention, the pivoting of the sponge body not only allows it to ride flat on the surface being cleaned, regardless of the working angle of the handle, but also makes possible complete reversibility of the tool in that both of its principal plane surfaces are equally useful work-engaging surfaces, a tool which is light in weight, highly maneuverable, and adequately cushioned to prevent damaging collisions, a tool well adapted for using sponge bodies of large volume with correspondingly larger cleaning capacity, and a tool in which the sponge body is adapted to be quickly and easily rinsed and flushed with easy and thorough manual wringing. Cleaning tools in accordance with the invention combine, accordingly, high cleaning efliciency with high rinsing and wringing efficiency making them admirably adapted for a wide range of uses.

I claim:

1. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of said body parallel to said faces, and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, and a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising an elongated, cylindrical, body-reinforcing means within said chamber on both sides of said body slot, a pivot member rotatably contained within said reinforcing means, and a handle extending through said body slot and connected to said pivot member, the cross sectional dimensions of said body and reinforcing means, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that said body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said reinforcing means but resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said reinforcing means and said pivot member defining a pivotal connection having such bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

2. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of said body, parallel to said faces, and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, and a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising an elongated, cylindrical, body-reinforcing member within said chamber and having a slot opening into said body slot, a pivot member rotatably contained within said reinforcing member, and a handle extending through said body and reinforcing member slots and connected to said pivot member, the cross sectional dimensions of said body and reinforcing member, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that said body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said reinforcing member but resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said reinforcing means and said pivot member defining a pivotal connection having such bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

' 3. The mop of claim 2 in which the body reinforcing member is a lining in the form of a coat on the surface of the chamber.

4. The mop of claim 2 in which the body reinforcing member is a relatively rigid sleeve.

5. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of and extending through said body, parallel to said faces, and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, and a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising an elongated, cylindrical, bodyreinforcing member within said chamber and having a slot opening into said body slot, a pivot member rotatably contained within said reinforcing member, and a handle extending through said body and reinforcing member slots and detachably connected to said pivot member, the cross sectional dimensions of said body and reinforcing member, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that said body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said reinforcing member but resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said pivotal connection having such bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

6. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of said body, parallel to said faces and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, and a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising an elongated, cylindrical, relatively rigid, body-reinforcing member within said chamber and having a slot opening into said body slot, a cylindrical pivot member rotatably contained within said reinforcing member and of substantially smaller diameter, and a handle extending through said body and reinforcing member slots and connected to said pivot member, the cross sectional dimensions of said body and reinforcing member, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that said body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said reinforcing member but resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said pivotal connection having such bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

7. A sponge body for a mop having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, a chamber centrally of said body and extending therethrough parallel to said faces and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of the mop body in normal use, and a slot opening through the rear edge of the body at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and sleeve-like, body reinforcing means within said chamber reinforcing substantial lengths of the chamber on both sides of the slot and having a yieldable inner friction surface.

8. The sponge body of claim 7 in which the body reinforcing means is a lining in the form of a coat on the surface of the chamber.

9. The sponge body of claim 7 in which the body reinforcing means is a sleeve having a slot at right angles to its axis and opening into the body slot, said sleeve being relatively rigid as compared with the sponge material.

10. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially flat and parallel work-engaging faces, an elongated chamber centrally of said body parallel to said faces, and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, and a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising a handle extending through said slot and a pivotal connection between said body and said handle, said connection including a pivot member within said chamber and connected to said handle and extending lengthwise of said chamber, the cross sectional dimension of said body and pivot member, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that the body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said pivot member but such dimensions resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said pivotal connection having bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

11. A mop comprising a sponge body having two principal, substantially fiat and parallel work-engaging faces,

an elongated chamber centrally of said body parallel to said faces, and at right angles to the principal direction of movement of said body in the normal use of said mop, vand a slot opening through its rear edge at right angles to and extending through said faces and intersecting said chamber, and guiding structure therefor comprising a handle extending through said slot and a pivotal connection between said body and said handle, said connection including a pivot member Within said chamber and connected to said handle and a bearing member within said chamber and extending lengthwise thereof, one of the members being a body reinforcement, the cross sectional dimension of said body and reinforcement, taken at right angles to the pivot axis, being such that the body may be manually encircled and squeezed against said reinforcement but such dimensions resulting in a tendency of the body to roll about said axis when advanced over a surface, said pivotal connection having bearing surface and dimensional characteristics that provide effective torsional resistance to such rolling.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,548,331 4/1951 Yamashiro 15244 2,796,617 6/1957 Bradshaw 15244 3,166,774 1/1965 Blum 15-244 DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

7. A SPONGE BODY FOR A MOP HAVING TWO PRINCIPAL, SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND PARALLEL WORK-ENGAGING FACES, A CHAMBER CENTRALLY OF SAID BODY AND EXTENDING THERETHROUGH PARALLEL TO SAID FACES AND AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PRINCIPAL DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE MOP BODY IN NORMAL USE, AND A SLOT OPENING THROUGH THE REAR EDGE OF THE BODY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID FACES AND INTERSECTING SAID CHAMBER, AND SLEEVE-LIKE, BODY REINFORCING MEANS WITHIN SAID CHAMBER REINFORCING SUBSTANTIAL LENGTHS OF THE CHAMBER ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SLOT AND HAVING A YIELDABLE INNER FRICTION SURFACE. 